Microsoft is rolling out dozens of new apps for the Xbox 360, building on statistics that show members of its paid online subscription service spend more time watching video than they do playing multiplayer games over the Internet.

The company says that by early next year it will add more than 40 apps to its Xbox Live service, such as MTV, The CW Network and CBC's Hockey Night in Canada.

Many of the apps will require paid subscriptions on top of the Xbox Live Gold subscription, which costs US$60 a year, or US$10 a month.

Several services, such as the Canadian hockey app, are only offered in the country of origin.

In the US, Xbox Live subscribers spend an average of 84 hours a month on the service.